2014 in Review has ended, but there are still tons of things Multiversity’s staff loved in comics from the year. As we approach the end of the year, Multiversity’s staff will share one thing a day they loved from the year, highlighting anything from a comic, creator, cover, comic shop, app, or anything really. As long as it involved comics, it can be featured. We hope you enjoy.
A topic of discussion the last couple of years has been the state of Vertigo Comics post-Karen Berger. Her departure left a big void in the comics world. When looking at comics in 2014 it’s imperative to take a look at what Vertigo Comics did this year. While they aren’t at the same level as they were with books like “Sandman” and “Transmetropolitan”, they are making the kind of books that any publisher would be proud to have. 2014 was the year Vertigo quietly got it’s groove back.
With “Fables” ending, a void will be created at Vertigo. This year showed that they are more than capable of attracting up and coming talent to create what could eventually be the next “Fables”. Taking “Sandman: Overture” out of the equation, Vertigo published well received new series. Their three most known ongoings from this new era, “FBP”, “Hinterkind”, and “Coffin Hill” continued to be very strong series that expanded their own mythologies. “Coffin Hill” and “Hinterkind” specifically became bigger than I ever imagined they would. They’re epics in completely different senses and by this point, they’ve come into their own. The real stars of the year however were the multiple mini series that Vertigo launched.
The Vertigo Quarterly proved to be a breeding ground for new talent and potential new stories. This anthology series featured creators such as Rachel Deering, Steven Orlando, Jody Houser, Matt Miner and Taylan Kurtulus. Not household names but some of the most exciting new talents in comics. Vertigo’s “CMYK Quarterly” had tons of variety. Each short story stood on its own but almost all could easily be spun out into their own stories. It was the perfect way to put out quality books while still rebuilding for the future.
More importantly though, 2014 was the year Vertigo began to reflect what the world looks like. Gone were the straight, white male protagonists that dominated for years. There were more female characters than ever before, including women of color. Katya, the protagonist of “Names” is African American and Shahara Hasan of “Bodies” is a Muslim woman. 5 years ago, this wasn’t the case with Vertigo. 2014 was huge for Vertigo when it comes to being more inclusive. This didn’t stop with the characters as Ming Doyle, Tula Lotay, Megan Hetrick and Caitlin Kittredge became the biggest stars of Vertigo. This is the most diverse lineup that I can remember Vertigo ever having.
I got into comics initially because of Vertigo. The teenage version of myself loved the rebellious spirit of these books. Vertigo can do things that other publishers can and don’t do so to have so many Vertigo books on my pull list feels so right. Image Comics has almost taken the place of Vertigo but 2014 proved that Vertigo can still do the things they used to do but with a more indie touch. There’s a reliance now on creators who are not A list names but have A list talent. Next year Vertigo will launch series from Tim Seeley and Gail Simone showing that this year was a year great enough to attract that kind of talent. The future of Vertigo is bright. 2014 is the year they got back on their feet. 2015 is the year they become a force once again.
